Opinion

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Tisha B'Av: Pursuing Redemption

T

isha b'Av is not a happy day. We
have many national holidays,
but this is one of those few
days when we visit the opposite end of
the spectrum. We could never feel real
happiness if we never feel real pain and
mourning, as those opposite ends of the
continuum are inextricably linked.
On Tisha b'Av, the ninth of Av (Aug.
10), we mourn the burning of both the
First and Second Temples, the plunder of
Jerusalem, the pillage of our people and
the genesis of an exile riddled with Jewish
persecution and suffering. The Roman
conquerors breaking into the holiest site
in the world, defiling it and then torch-
ing it, began a saga of suffering for our
people. That saga still unfolds today, as we
look uneasily to Iran, a neighbor to half
the Jews in the world, while they build
nuclear weapons with little pretense of
their intended use. The destruction of the
Temples, which was the origin of our exile,
encapsulates the pain and suffering of our
people throughout the millennia.
How can we experience Tisha b'Av in a
way that is meaningful, without finding it
utterly crushing? What can we do on a day
so devastating, a time so troubling?
One idea we can contemplate is the

Rashi explains that what God really
meaning of the Temple, the place inex-
desires is not a magnificent golden temple;
tricably connected with our glory as a
He doesn't need beautiful buildings.
nation, and connect its absence with
Rather, what God really desires is to dwell
our hardships in exile. Why was there a
inside of each and every one of us, He
Temple? What was its function, its origin,
wants us to make room for Him
and its goal?
in our lives, and make Him part
The first time the Jews were
of who we are. The external tem-
commanded to build a house
ple is only a means to that end,
for God was in the desert.
a physical location where we can
After the sin of the Golden
get in touch with our inner spiri-
Calf, God wanted a dwelling
tuality, and become motivated to
place amongst the Jews so He
bring Him back home with us.
would be able to inspire them
The destruction of the Temples
to act properly and to stay
only occurred when the Temple
away from the negativity that
was serving no purpose, when
led to the calf. However, the
Rabbi L eiby
the people had no interest in
actual commandment to build
Burnh am
bringing God home with them.
this Tabernacle (the mobile
Comm unity
Then the physical shell, devoid of
temple used during the Jew's
Vie w
purpose, lost its pulse.
wanderings in the desert)
On Tisha b'Av, we need to
contains the secret to the con-
focus on rebuilding, redemption, and
cept a temple.
return. There are two ways we can do this
"And they shall make for me a
— externally and internally. Externally,
Tabernacle, and I will dwell in them.
we can use the remaining representations
(Exodus, 25:8)" Rashi, the primary com-
of that Temple, our synagogues to begin
mentator on the Bible, points us to the
the rebuilding process. The mystics tell us
obvious question. It should have said "...
make for me a Tabernacle, and I will dwell that our synagogues are microcosms of
the Temple, in that they too are places we
in it" but instead it says, "and I shall dwell
are supposed to come to, in order to get
in them."

in touch with our inner spirituality and to
then bring godliness back home with us.
We need to maximize the power of
the synagogue. For some it might entail
not talking to others during services, for
others it might mean attending more
frequently, and for others it can mean tak-
ing a more-participatory role in services.
However we do it, the goal is to build up
our local temples, in the hope that we will
merit to see our national Temple once
again.
The other way to work on rebuilding the
Temple is internal, by focusing on the end
goal of the temples. The Temple existed so
we should all have a dwelling place inside
of us for God, a place where He feels at
home. How can we make ourselves into a
place that godliness resides? How can we
show God that once again we are ready as
a nation for Him to come dwell amongst
us? That is what we must contemplate on
Tisha b'Av to begin our journey back to
both personal and national redemption.

. ❑

Rabbi Leiby Burnham is associate director of
the Jean and Theodore Weiss Partners in Torah

program based at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in

Southfield.

Reaffirmed Commitment To Israel

Washington

T

he success of Democratic Sen.
Barack Obama's Middle East trip
recently not only showed that
he is ready to lead, but it reaffirmed his
commitment to Israel's peace and secu-
rity. Obama's trip was a home run, as it
surpassed expectations and showed the
international community that Obama will
be a leader on the global stage.
Despite Obama's commitment to Israel,
Republican Sen. John McCain's allies con-
tinue to ignore the pro-Israel community's
50-year tradition of using objective analy-
sis to evaluate a candidate's stance on the
U.S.-Israel relationship. The leadership of
the pro-Israel community decided long
ago that it is essential for Israel to remain
a bipartisan issue. By insisting that Obama
is anti-Israel, Republicans are not only
undermining the pro-Israel community,
but also are hurting the bipartisan con-
sensus surrounding the support of the
U.S.-Israel relationship.
The pro-Israel community has always
used voting records and public statements
to accurately assess where a candidate
stands on Middle East issues. These
parameters show that Obama is an exem-

A26

August 7 • 2008

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Israeli government when it comes to Israel
plary pro-Israel candidate. Obama has a
and, "Sen. McCain has said that Jerusalem
perfect pro-Israel voting record, believes
is the capital of Israel — if a democratic
strongly in foreign aid and publicly sup-
government of Israel chooses to accept an
ports the U.S.-Israel relationship at every
alteration of that status, he's certainly not
opportunity.
going to second guess a demo-
Obama has never cast a
cratic government of Israel." In
single vote against Israel and
fact, this is one of the few issues
he remains an outspoken
with which Obama and McCain
critic of Iran. When he was in
agree.
Israel, Obama spoke against
In addition to the hypocritical
Iran's nuclear proliferation
and misleading attacks against
program: "Iranians need to
Obama, McCain's allies often rely
understand that whether it's
on the tactic of "guilt by associa-
the Bush administration or an
tion." Since thousands of people
Obama administration, that
associate themselves with each
this is a paramount concern
Marc R.
campaign, to choose any single
to the United States."
Stanley
individual and attribute him
Yet the Republican National
Special
or her to a candidate falls short
Committee (RNC) insists on
Commentary
of the objective measures with
trying to portray Obama as
which the pro-Israel community
one who is against Israel's
prides itself. Besides lacking objectivity,
peace and security. In a recent RNC press
this standard is unreliable and it does not
release, the RNC insisted that Obama
give us an accurate assessment of how a
has an anti-Israel approach to Jerusalem.
candidate would behave once in office.
Obama's Jerusalem position is consistent
However, if Republicans insist on using
with McCain's and a continuation of the
"guilt by association" as their pro-Israel
bipartisan consensus among U.S. leaders.
standard, they must answer for McCain's
According to McCain's top foreign policy
potential future appointments and key
adviser, Randy Scheunemann, McCain
says that we should not "second guess" the campaign advisers. McCain has said

— on the record — he would appoint
former Secretary of State James Baker
as his Middle East envoy and would use
Zbigniew Brzezinski as one of his foreign
policy advisers. Furthermore, Fred Malek,
McCain's national finance co-chair, is the
operative Nixon tasked with seeking out
the Jews in the Bureau of Labor Statistics
so they could be fired. These key McCain
allies are just the beginning. There are
"guilt by association" implications for
numerous McCain campaign personalities
who have Iranian business and lobbying
connections, including some of McCain's
most senior advisers.
With his trip to the Middle East, Obama
showed, once again, his commitment
to strengthen the bipartisan consensus
around the U.S.-Israel relationship, com-
bating Iran, and seeking peace in the
Middle East.
McCain and his allies should should
stop this unwarranted fear mongering and
engage in substantive debate. The Jewish
community is too politically sophisticated
to fall victim to these underhanded tactics
and misleading statements. ❑

Marc R. Stanley is chair of the National Jewish

Democratic Council.